Chapter 407: A New Specialty
[Please select your reward promptly.]
[Option One: Randomly obtain three skills or specialties you acquired during your traversals.]
[Option Two: Randomly obtain three items you acquired during your traversals.]
Choosing items meant stable and substantial rewards, while choosing skills and specialties carried risk — he might draw the gray negative trait Fear of Sunlight, yet there was also a chance to obtain an unprecedented reward — The World Over Heaven.
Besides, this traversal's main goal was to acquire a new specialty as the final step in creating a new profession.
With that in mind, Zhou Ning made up his mind: he would choose Option One.
Still, to be safe, he hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took out a green, three-leafed plant.
At critical times like this, it was best to bring back into play the causal weapon he had once sealed away — the Lucky Clover.
He needed to find a way to obtain The World Over Heaven, avoid the gray negative trait, and ideally draw a suitable specialty.
As for any negative effects… they might fall upon this ship, Wings of Freedom, and he would do everything in his power to protect everyone aboard. That was his promise.
A green glow rose from the surface of the Lucky Clover, merging into his body.
[You have chosen Option One.]
[You have obtained a general skill: Hypnosis (Advanced).]
[Hypnosis: Use spiritual power to hypnotize another's consciousness. Success rate depends on the difference in mental strength; the more evil a person's heart, the easier it is to hypnotize them.]
[You have obtained a general skill: Vapor Freezing Technique.]
[Vapor Freezing Technique: You can vaporize the moisture within your body to absorb heat from any surface in contact with you, thereby freezing it.]
[You have obtained a special skill: The World Over Heaven.]
[This skill requires Over Heaven status to activate.]
[The World Over Heaven (Locked)]
[Special Skill]
[Effect 1: Freely accelerate or decelerate time — unlimited multiplier.]
[Effect 2: Stop time for 9 seconds. (Unlocked)]
[Effect 3: Partially rewrite reality via physical contact with your Stand's fists.]
[Effect 4: ?????]
Zhou Ning exhaled slowly. It seemed the Lucky Clover had backfired this time — he had obtained three skills but none of the specialties he currently needed most, and each came with flaws.
The first two rewards weren't particularly impressive. Hypnosis had no offensive capability — a near-useless skill — while Vapor Freezing Technique was even worse, barely worth mentioning, practically trash-tier.
As for The World Over Heaven, for now it only functioned as The World... Zhou Ning noticed there were more prompts below and continued reading.
[You have obtained the Diamond Milestone: Over Heaven.]
[You have discovered a related hidden quest. Accept it? Yes / No.]
After selecting Yes, a new hidden quest appeared in his quest log.
Hidden Quest (Triggerable under special conditions):
[Over Heaven]: To shatter — and surpass — that indescribable fate, you must accomplish the following:
[Requirement 1: Possess the Stand, The World.]
[Requirement 2: A trusted friend.]
[Requirement 3: Attain Demi-God rank.]
[Requirement 4: Create 14 Secret Sayings that reflect your true journey.]
[Requirement 5: Collect thirty-six sinners' souls.]
[Requirement 6: Have the courage to relinquish your Stand.]
[Requirement 7: Reach the depths of the Misty Sea, at latitude 37°23′S, longitude 79°31′W, and await a meteorological tide.]
Reward: Unknown.
Zhou Ning stared at the demanding list in silence for a moment. If he guessed right, completing this quest might let him ascend from Demi-God to Angel, just as Evil Savior Zhou Ning had evolved into Over Heaven Zhou Ning.
This hidden quest was nonnegotiable — it had to be done.
It seemed he'd have to look for containers capable of holding souls, while also beginning the hunt for those steeped in unforgivable sin.
As for the fourteen secret sayings... Zhou Ning pondered for a while before solemnly writing down the first two in his notebook: "Ruins of the Royal Capital" and "Path of Suffering."
"Ruins of the Royal Capital" naturally referred to his experiences in Darkland, while the "Path of Suffering" was the Via Dolorosa — the road Jesus walked through Jerusalem carrying the cross before his crucifixion. Here, it symbolized his own spiritual transformation.
Once he put down the pen, the fourth task's progress bar quietly shifted from 0/14 to 2/14.
Besides the above rewards, there was also an unexpected surprise — his progress toward Battle Maniac (5/10) had finally reached completion after two worlds.
[Battle Maniac]: As a battle enthusiast, you are driven to test your limits. In simulated worlds, challenge 10 powerful opponents and complete 10 memorable battles. (10/10)
[Quest Tip]: Choose suitable templates and worlds — as long as it's not a slice-of-life world, this isn't difficult to achieve.
Reward: Random.
This quest also had a continuation, with progress now showing 10/20. Zhou Ning didn't hesitate and immediately chose to claim the reward.
[Drawing reward... You have received: Specialty Reward.]
Zhou Ning suddenly understood — no wonder he hadn't drawn a specialty earlier. It had been waiting for him here all along. The Lucky Clover hadn't failed after all!
[Please choose one of the following three specialties as your reward.]
[Sneak Tactics]: When your target is afflicted by Blind, Slow, or Bind effects, your attacks extend the duration of that effect by 3 seconds. (Diminishing returns; cannot be permanent.)
[Graceful Combat Technique (Elite Specialty)]: +8 Agility. When using a light single-handed weapon (e.g., sword, gauntlet), your melee weapon's main stat changes from Strength to Agility, but with a 33.3% conversion rate. This specialty is temporarily disabled when using heavy weapons or dual-wielding single-handed weapons.
[Faith Forged in Battle]: Your attack power and willpower increase gradually as battle duration extends, up to a maximum of +35% (35 points).
To be fair, all three were solid choices. The first could significantly extend debuff durations — despite diminishing returns, in most battles it would remain useful for both PvP and combat scenarios.
The second specialty, however, was Zhou Ning's favorite. Despite the long description, it was simple — after learning this, when using swords or other light weapons like gauntlets, his melee output would scale off one-third of his Agility instead of pure Strength.
That one-third might seem small, but it would cause a massive spike in melee damage output.
The third specialty was a classic endurance-battle trait, something he didn't currently need.
Between the first two, the choice was obvious. Without hesitation, Zhou Ning selected the second one — only a fool wouldn't.
[You have learned the specialty: Graceful Combat Technique.]
[16 professional specialties detected — requirement fulfilled. Current count: 16/16 (click to view).]
At long last, after a long and difficult journey, Zhou Ning let out a deep sigh of relief — the requirements to create a new profession were finally complete.
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